YA is for Adults Too!
Now that the weather’s grown colder, I dress White-Harp up in her sweater and leave her with a stack of books to read before leaving for work in the mornings. I officially have a to-be-read pile larger than my head, which is a first for me. I read very quickly and I often read several books at once–a useful ability in this industry–but I may overmatched here. Also, until today I could claim that nothing fazes me in literature, but on my subway commute to work this morning, I had to shut a book because I simply couldn’t handle the visceral descriptions of the human body reduced to meat. I wince even now.
White-Harp in her new sweater and my to-be-read pile.
Last night I went to Books of Wonder to listen to a number of fabulous YA authors speak. This may have been the first time I’ve attended an author event for which I’ve read all the books, with the exception of Kristin Cashore‘s FIRE which I have not yet gotten around too, although I have read GRACELING.
Awesome authors in attendance:
- Justine Larbalestier for LIAR
- Kristin Cashore for FIRE
- Scott Westerfeld for LEVIATHAN (I also attended his post-apocalyptic panel with Carrie Ryan and from which there is the most unflattering picture of me in Publishers Weekly)
- Libba Bray for GOING BOVINE (review forthcoming)
- Suzanne Collins for CATCHING FIRE
Everyone was marvelous and I think I have officially developed a crush on Libba Bray. I mean, I’ve always loved her work, but she is just so hilarious in person it’s kind of hard not to fall a teensy bit in love. Or maybe that’s just me. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a sense of humour.
I went with The Inimitable Bex and my roommate Rachel (who needs a better cognomen), to both of whom I recommended THE HUNGER GAMES. (On a side note: I think I have “sold” at least 25 copies of those books to my friends by incoherent gushing alone, and at least 40 more copies through Rachel.) Rachel brought a picture of her dressed as Effie Trinket for Halloween to show Suzanne Collins, which was well-received. See, us twentysomethings still dress up as characters from our favourite books! (I won’t talk about the full year I dressed as Sabina from Milan Kundera’s THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING…)
What I found interesting about the crowd at this event was its age demographic. There were certainly quite a few teens and pre-teens in attendance, but I found the majority were young people my age in their early to mid-twenties. Of course, I could be off my mark because a lot of us still look pretty young (I myself was carded the other day and it’s been years since I’ve been legally able to drink). I overheard snippets of conversation between these fans about their first jobs out of school, young “adult” issues, and met not a few recent college graduates while standing in line to have my books signed.
Why is that? I think there are a number of contributing factors. First, we can’t discount the effect HARRY POTTER had on readers of my generation. I mean, I picked up HARRY POTTER & THE PHILOSOPHER’S/SORCERER’S STONE when I was 12. DEATHLY HALLOWS was released when I was 22. In some respects, the YA genre developed because of us.
Second, these are just damned good books, regardless of how old you are. Justine Larbalestier’s LIAR is an especially sophisticated novel, on par with and better than many adult thrillers. Libba Bray’s GOING BOVINE is alternately hysterical and gut-wrenching in a way that few adult novels are able to match without becoming maudlin.
Third, the YA genre is starting to expand and grow. It’s beginning to encompass more and more “adult” topics and themes because not only are teens able to handle them, the adults reading the genre are subconsciously influencing what is considered “acceptable”. When I was still a wee JJ, there was no YA genre: there was children’s fiction and then there was adult fiction. What was once shelved as adult (ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card or CATCHER IN THE RYE by J. D. Salinger) is now in YA.
Much of what is currently YA would have been published as adult fiction 15 years ago. YA helped readers like me, who was a child then, find books to read in the store as I grew older. But now I’m 24 and I still need help navigating the adult shelves. Dan and I hope that if New Adult gains momentum, there will a section of the bookstore I can count on finding novels for me.
I think the only thing I can really say is “amen” to the contents of this post.
Your last lines really hits me and my friends and our position squarely, as I mentioned on #yalitchat We would love New Adult, and I only wish it was around earlier rather than just coming out now.
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Ditto to what Catherine said.
Ender’s Game… God, I love that book. I read it at least once a year.
I can’t tell you how excited I am for the “new adult” movement (and I’m 28 so I barely even qualify for the market, haha. Yikes. Now I feel old…I’m no longer a new adult, sigh.)
PS Great job on #yalitchat tonight :-)
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I’m 33 and yet most of what I read is YA. It’s also what I write, but that’s not why I read more of it than adult books, it’s because it appeals to me more on average. What I think you’re getting at with the Newq Adult concept is something I’d be very happy to see. I’ve many times bemoaned to my friends about the gap between the end of high school and the ready-to-be-boring stage of life. And, yes, I have set rough drafts aside as things that will never be revised into printable largely due to the MC’s age. So, yeah, I’m excited as both a writer and a reader to see where your NA concept will lead.
And thanks again for the #yalitchat discussion tonight. I really enjoyed it, even though I mostly lurked. :)
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I do need a better cognomen! And we still need to find a cool name for our apartment.
Although Elijah the Imp is personally my favorite.
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I really want to read Westerfield and Collins! I have some Bray on my iPod (Kindle app) when I get some time…
“Third, the YA genre is starting to expand and grow. It’s beginning to encompass more and more “adult” topics and themes…”
I’m curious what you think about the idea that, maybe it would be “better” to protect teens from too mature of themes. I mean, there is SO much in this world that can be really sad. Do we need to “corrupt” the “innocence” of young people in literature when it’s already done every day by reality?
(Note: I’m putting that out there purely for debate/discussion. I write YA and don’t shy away from anything if I think it’s needed for the story.)
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Psst. Peterfreund’s RAMPANT is an excellent read! Quick, smart, and…well, a bit bloody but nothing so stomach-churning as whatever you were reading that described the human body turned to meat. :)
Also, I am quite jealous. All those authors, and all those amazing books! And now, I have more to add to my TBR pile.
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